Simon-Mal.

[bad_in_latin]

It took longer than it should have to arrange dinner.

Mal washed his hands first though, so that says something. So does the fact that he got to the bar early enough to look bored by the time Simon actually arrives.

"Doc!" Mal calls; he's already sitting at a table.

Comments

[simon_doctor]

Simon's looking for Mal on the other side of the room; his head turns at the sound of Mal's voice, though, and he raises one hand in recognition and starts in that direction.

[bad_in_latin]

"Not pullin' you away from anything overmuch, am I?"

Asked more out of courtesy than anything else.

"I got a beer comin'. Didn't order much else yet though."

[simon_doctor]

"No, nothing. This is my last free evening before studying for the next exam eats up all my spare time."

He sounds cheerful enough about it.

[bad_in_latin]

"You...have fun with that."

If, y'know. Fun is possible, in that scenario.

[simon_doctor]

Dry: "Xiexie ni."

The waitrat shows up with Mal's beer. Simon glances at the label, and says to the rat "One more of those, please."

[bad_in_latin]

Before the rat gets a chance to flee, Mal orders a plate of quesadillas.

"You ever had these things before? It's got some gou pi on it made out of avocado that I could just eat all day."

[simon_doctor]

"I don't think so, no." He looks interested. "It sounds Spanish."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal shrugs. "No sort o' clue."

The quesadillas arrive fairly quickly, all told. Mal abuses the sour cream.

"So -- what's the news? 'Sides studyin'."

[bad_in_latin]

Mal is not, but he's not making an ass of himself either.

"Old friends can be good. Anyone I heard of?"

[simon_doctor]

Simon's judgment: quesadillas are tasty, but difficult to eat neatly.

(He's managing.)

"There isn't a great deal of news, really. I ... think you've already heard about our latest, ah, adventure."

[bad_in_latin]

"Kaylee's new and improved life of Osirisan crime? Shi a, I got the newswave."

Mal's absconding with the last of the guacamole. "What's your end of it?"

[simon_doctor]

"There wasn't much," he says. "Kaylee waved a friend of ours from the station, he came and got me from class, and I paid bail to have her released."

His tone's light; deliberately so.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal doesn't really have much of a knack for light tones.

"You don't sound like you're farin' with that too well. What else is there? It ain't like she compares to some o' the other gou pi Jayne and I're up for."

[simon_doctor]

"No, really, that was all there was to it."

Beat.

"Which I'll admit came as a relief."

[bad_in_latin]

"You thought Kaylee would actually do something illegal what didn't get put up to her as a job?"